#dmitrimedvedev

Russia’s fallen finance minister was tossed out of his office on Tuesday and told that he would have to leave his government country house in what appeared to be swift retribution for defying President Dmitri A. Medvedev that was clearly meant as a warning to other would-be rebels. Few could have predicted such an ignominious end for the finance minister, Aleksei L. Kudrin, who was fired on Monday for publicly questioning Mr. Medvedev’s authority and was quickly replaced on Tuesday by his deputy, Anton G. Siluanov, on an interim basis. After nearly two decades of government service, Mr. Kudrin was widely considered to be indispensable to the government. But even as the Kremlin moved to quiet the tumult raised by Mr. Kudrin’s dismissal, few were certain that it could repair the cracks in the ruling elite that his confrontation with Mr. Medvedev exposed.

Vladimir V. Putin, who for more than a decade has moved to consolidate authority in Russia under his control, will run for president next year, replacing his protégé, Dmitri A. Medvedev, and possibly extending his rule until 2024. Mr. Medvedev made the announcement on Saturday, at the convention of United Russia, the country’s dominant political party. His voice cracking with emotion, he said that the decision had been “deeply thought out,” and suggested that there had been discussions about Mr. Putin’s eventual return to the presidency for years. Mr. Putin then took the stage and proposed that Mr. Medvedev could now succeed him as prime minister. Before the announcement, Mr. Putin had hinted that such a change might be coming, saying that Mr. Medvedev would lead United Russia’s list of candidates going to parliamentary elections in December. Mr. Putin remained Russia’s pre-eminent political figure even after he tapped Mr. Medvedev for the presidency at the end of his own second term four years ago. Analysts have long speculated that Mr. Medvedev would act as a placeholder for Mr. Putin, who can now legally return to the presidency for a third term after spending four years as prime minister. The announcement Saturday was met with roaring applause by United Russia members, and ended months of speculation over which of the two leaders in the so-called ruling tandem would run in, and most certainly win, the presidential election in March.